Thursday, September 27, 2012

Chloe, a frosty (but not obnoxiously so) fuchsia with an iridescent violet sheen:

Snow White, a deep, deep red with brown undertones:

Stella, a glossy light to medium pink:

L to R: Stella, B52, Chloe, Snow White

What's beautiful about NYX lipsticks is that, because of the low price, I can experiment with shades I most certainly would never regularly wear (Snow White, I'm lookin' at you!) and stash them in case of a costume party, etc. All of these colors were smooth and easy to apply, though Stella was a bit drying. Most B52 swatches I have seen show the pink-ness of this lipstick, which I believe is more true to life; unfortunately it pulls way more nude on my skin tone! Similarly, Snow White looks a little more brick/brown on me than I have seen on other sites. Ah well, such is life!

Overall, these are a great value with a solid formula. See my previous review here for a more in-depth analysis and more swatches! NYX Round Lipsticks are available at Ulta and at various e-tailers such as Cherry Culture.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

A couple of beautiful and fun indies from Lush Lacquer! These bright, colorful lacquers are a tribute to the passing of summer and the last vestiges of warm, sunny weather. (Boo!) I'm not looking forward to winter, but at least I'll have these to remind me of cozier, sunnier days. Both are swatched with three coats.

Peace Love Polish is so... squishy! The base is a perfect vibrant pink, just a stitch from being neon but not quite crossing that line. I had no application issues and the formula was smooth, distributing glitter fairly evenly. Oopsie Daisy is a stunning garden of colorful glitter in a shimmery light blue base. I did have to fish out the yellow flowers, but is wasn't hard. I love both of these.

Lush Lacquers are available on their etsy store here for $8.75 each. Mini sets are also available. Which indie brands do you love?

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Today I have for you a lovely polish, The Brain, by an equally lovely brand, Nostalgic Lacquer.

(Also, randomly, this is my first time testing out my new jellyish silicon keyboard cover; it's SQUISHY! Squishysquishysquishy :D )

On an actual relevant note, this is part of Nostalgic Lacquers Saturday Detention collection, inspired by the movie 'The Breakfast Club'. While I've never seen the film (I know, sacrilege in some circles), I can appreciate a beautiful nail color when I see it. And The Brain truly is one. Swatches are two coats, I believe, but possibly three; I sometimes have the attention and memory of a gerbil...

I adore the sunshine yellow base and the bright cerulean glitter - what a spectacular combo! No application issues, nice formula.

This polish and others from Nostalgic Nail Lacquer are available at their shop here for $9.75 each. What do you think?

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

I was transfixed when I first saw promos for the new Sephora Pantone nail polish. They looked positively gorgeous! And shiny! and duochrome-y! As soon as I could, I ordered two - Cradle Pink and Parachute Purple.

L to R: Parachute Purple, Cradle Pink

And after getting them? I have to admit I'm sort of 'meh'. They're perfectly nice, perfectly pleasant, but I have enough lacquers now that I hate to settle for anything less than mind-blowingly rad and these fall well below that bar. Here's Cradle Pink, a shimmery pink/purple topcoat:

Cradle Pink adds a pretty veil of shimmer over a base polish, but the effect is quite subtle in natural light and only became noticeable with a heavy dose of flash (and even then it's not overwhelmingly strong). I think my favorite combo is with the grey; Cradle Pink adds a touch of sauciness to an otherwise neutral and subdued manicure, while still skirting the line of being work-appropriate. Nevertheless, if you want a wash of shimmer over an under-polish, I would recommend checking out the CND Effects line over this shade.

Parachute Purple, a violet with green-blue duochrome shimmer:

The formula was ultra-rich, barely requiring two coats. Again, though, the duochrome shimmer is quite subtle. I feel that, with the recent influx of duochrome collections, a better option is out there.

Very lovely. Vegas Bomb was a bit sheer, and next time I wear it I'll make sure to undercoat with a yellow creme. But, as noted, completely awesome. Watercolor is perfect and I've never met a lacquer with a more fitting name - the glitter looks like tiny brushstroke dabs. Overall, KBShimmer offers some truly unique colors at a very reasonable indie price ($8.50). Unfortunately Vegas Bomb was discontinued, but you can purchase the others from the KBShimmer online shop here.